


Once a Toerag, Always a Toerag

by astoriaamalfoyy



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/M, Fluff, Harry Potter Has a Sibling, James Potter Lives, Lily Evans Potter Lives, Little League Quidditch, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Young Harry Potter, implied wolfstar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:14:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24984391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astoriaamalfoyy/pseuds/astoriaamalfoyy
Summary: It's the Mini Brooms championships, and James and Lily are cheering on their son from the stands.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Comments: 4
Kudos: 82





	Once a Toerag, Always a Toerag

**Author's Note:**

> This was requested on Tumblr, with the prompt: "Something with Little League Quidditch and Jily?" I've retitled Little League to Mini Brooms (because my sister who reads all my stuff before I post HATES the name Little League (I have no clue why but she does)) and I've written a few drafts of this before getting to this final product, but I hope you enjoy! It was super fun to write!

“Mummy, do you think Harry will win?”

Lily looked over to her young daughter, who was caught in an absent trance at the sight of the Quidditch pitch, where the two teams huddled in preparation for the match.

Harry’s team – St. Catchpole Otter Pups – had a perfect season, making it to the finals. The match was against Tinworth Tiger Cubs, a Mini Brooms club Lily hadn’t heard of until James mentioned it (apparently, Lucius Malfoy’s son was on the team and – like Harry – played Seeker).

“Well, Bryony,” said Lily, “the team isn’t just Harry. They all have to work together if they want to do best… but if they do work together, I’m sure they’ll win.”

“Oh,” Bryony mumbled.

“Do you think Harry’s team will win?”

She turned to her mother with a small smile, reserved only for when speaking about her older brother. “Yeah, I know they’ll win. Daddy said so.”

“Really? Is that so?” Lily asked with an amused expression.

“It is.”

Lily and Bryony both turned to the direction of the voice to see James, Sirius, and Remus making their way over to their seats on the stands. Lily’s mini-me, one-year-old Monty, was being held in his father’s arms, while toddler Teddy Black-Lupin clutched onto Remus’ hand.

“Seems overly confident to me. I was talking to Molly Weasley earlier and she says they’re supposed to be a really good team, perhaps even a great one, for ending up at the finals,” replied Lily, taking Monty into her arms and pressing a soft kiss onto his head.

“No way, Lily Flower,” James shook his head. “They may be as good as you say, but they don’t have Ron as a Keeper, Ginny, Angelina, and Dean as Chasers, Fred and George for Beaters, and Harry as the Seeker. We have talent that’s off the charts and our kids have more passion for the game then anyone. So, call me overconfident but the Otter Pups are going to win. Even if I have to sabotage little Malfoy myself.”

She let out a laugh, leaning into his side.

James had been playing Quidditch with Harry since before he could walk, when they were hiding in Godric’s Hollow and when the war was finally at its closure so they could move on with their lives. He was always involved with educating all of his children about the way of Quidditch (even though the only thing Monty took interest in was Dinah’s tail, annoying the cat to no end with his cruel and very childish behavior), but when Harry made a travel Mini Brooms team, he took it to the next level.

He immediately bought a ton of the Quidditch club’s merchandise for everyone he knew and attended every single match, no matter if he had Auror work to do or not.

At first, Lily thought all his enthusiasm stemmed from his own desires to play professional Quidditch after Hogwarts, but couldn’t due to the war. She assumed it was James attempting to live through their young son or to, perhaps, relive the glory days of cobblestone corridors, Professor McGonagall’s biscuits, and secret snogs in the broom closet.

Eventually, she questioned him about it, and James admitted he only wanted to be supportive of an activity they both enjoyed.

"It’s bonding, I suppose,” explained James. “And, although he may see it as embarrassing now, I think he’ll appreciate it later.”

Lily promptly kissed him after he said that, mumbling nonsense about ‘making another baby’ (which they would never follow through with because three was the perfect number).

“Teddy’s getting antsy so Sirius and I are taking him to walk around concessions,” Remus’ voice broke Lily out of her thoughtful daydream, “do you want us to take Bryony and Monty with us.”

“Monty’s good with us but as for Bryony… hey, Bry, did you want to go off with your uncles and Teddy?” said Lily, looking from her friend to her daughter.

Bryony turned to the adults and shrugged. “Okie, but we can’t miss Harry getting the Snitch.”

“We won’t, Faline,” promised Sirius before linking hands with her.

“Oi, Bryony, make sure to have Uncle Moony get you a chocolate frog while you’re there,” James called after them.

“Okie!” she replied, happy at the idea of getting chocolate. Bryony looked at Remus, her soft, hazel eyes pleading her case. “Please?”

He sighed. “Sure, we’ll get you and Teddy each a chocolate frog.”

“And Monty!”

“Yes, we’ll bring Monty one too.”

Bryony smiled and opened her mouth to respond, but had walked too far away for her parents to hear the conversation.

Monty yawned and shifted himself in Lily’s arms.

“Aw, the fawn is sleepy,” James spoke up, rubbing the baby’s back in a soothing manner.

“Uh-huh,” she nodded. “He and Bryony were playing all morning so he missed naptime.”

“I see… Did you want me to hold him for a while? Give your arms a rest?”

“Yes, please, I’d really appreciate it,” she swiftly moved Monty from her lap to James’, but still making the boy mumble in his semi conscious state.

James shushed him, simultaneously kissing the top of his red curls. “It’s alright, little fawn. Daddy’s got you.” Monty visibly relaxed to his father’s words, making both Lily and James smile.

She glanced at the Quidditch pitch, then back at James. “Do you really think Harry’s team will win? The Tinworth kids look much bigger than ours.”

“Size doesn’t matter much in Quidditch. I mean, Dorcas was extremely short yet an impeccable Seeker,” James responded, staring out at the pitch, where the St. Catchpole Otter Pups broke away from their huddle in unison with the Tinworth team.

“Players, mount your brooms!” called the commentator, alerting the crowd and teams of the start of the match.

James finally looked to Lily. “I _do_ think they’ll win,” he said, answering her previous question in full. “I stand by what I said earlier.”

“I _hope_ they win,” Lily told him, “Harry will be absolutely crushed if they don’t.”

He shrugged. “You win some, you lose some.”

“Only minutes ago you said you’d sabotage Draco Malfoy if the Pups aren’t winning,” she scoffed. “Besides, after the _one match_ you lost during your _six years_ on the Gryffindor team, you cried and refused to get out of bed for a week.”

“If you recall, love, I was in the hospital wing half-dead.”

“You were not half-dead,” replied Lily. Mumbling, she added, “once a toerag, always a toerag.”

“Wow, trying to roast me under your breath, are you?” questioned James with a playful smile. “Are we back in fifth year or something, Potter?”

“Are we back to last names, Potter?” she retorted. “But it’s true. A toerag is forever a toerag.”

“Didn’t know you felt that way. A knife in the heart, a knife,” he held his open hand over his chest, in mock offense.

“Sod off,” she laughed, giving his shoulder a light shove, however, sure not hard enough to awaken Monty. “Now, the match is starting; pay attention.”

***

The St. Catchpole Otter Pups ended up winning the match two hundred to fifty, only because Harry caught the Snitch right under Draco’s nose.

Until Harry caught the Snitch, both teams were neck and neck, the win purely decided by whichever Seeker caught the Snitch.

Draco cried when the Tiger Cubs lost, however not as much as James did, although for a different reason…

“My son is a Quidditch star in the making,” he blubbered, blowing his nose into the handkerchief Lily always kept in her diaper bag (just in case anyone - mainly James - had a breakdown in the middle of the day). “My Harry, my Prongslet.”

“Aw, buck it up,” Lily half-jokingly, half-seriously said. “Come on,” she linked hands with him, “let’s go give our congratulations to the team.”

James repositioned an awake and grumpy Monty on his hip before standing up to go with his family to see Harry, who was shaking hands with the losing team. Sirius, Remus, Teddy, and Bryony led the way to the pitch, the other part of the group following closely behind.

“Dad!” exclaimed Harry once he saw them reach the team members and their families.

James swiftly handled Monty to Lily before engulfing Lily into a huge hug.

“Did you see me? Did you, did you?” demanded the little boy, speaking straight into his father’s ear.

“Yes, I did see you,” he replied. “You played incredibly… positively perfect, Prongslet.”

Harry pulled away with the brightest smile he had ever worn previously, mumbling _thank you_.

Lily’s heart fluttered at the scene. Despite being born during a time of war and growing up during the time of healing, Harry was an unusually happy child, with green eyes that shone brightly and never leaving the house without his mischievous grin. His trademark he claimed since toddlerhood. 

Lily would never cease to be amazed by her oldest, or any of his siblings. Although it was a very stereotypical Mum-thing to say, it was the truth.

“Mummy,” Harry finally turned to her, “did you see me?”

She nodded. “Of course. How could I miss it?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged innocently before looking to his uncles to ask the same question.

“I’m so proud of him,” James repeated when they let Monty down to toddle around with Bryony and Teddy.

Lily melted once more upon seeing her husband’s face, full of nothing but utter adoration.

Alright, maybe he was a toerag, but definitely not arrogant, nor any other slightly offensive word from their youth. 

“You lovable toerag,” she whispered before pulling him close to her, and locking their lips in a kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> If you want, kudos and comments are greatly appreciated and truly make my day. If not, I hope you have a great day and enjoyed the fic!
> 
> Check me out on [Tumblr!](https://emptysatellite.tumblr.com/)


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